Zacks Research Has Pessimistic View of Accenture Q2 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research cut several near‑term EPS forecasts for Accenture, lowering Q2 2026 to $2.88 (from $2.97) and trimming other quarterly estimates, while raising full‑year FY2026 and FY2027 forecasts to $13.77 and $14.66 respectively.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive with an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $295.84; shares opened around $280.82 (down ~0.4%) and trade at about a 23.2 P/E.
• Operationally Accenture recently beat quarterly expectations (reported $3.94 EPS vs. $3.73 expected) and set FY2026 guidance of $13.52–$13.90, which supports a constructive medium‑term outlook despite the near‑term estimate cuts.

Accenture PLC (NYSE:ACN - Free Report) - Stock analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Accenture in a report issued on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the information technology services provider will post earnings of $2.88 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $2.97. The consensus estimate for Accenture's current full-year earnings is $12.73 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Accenture's Q3 2026 earnings at $3.62 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $3.34 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $13.77 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $3.88 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $3.39 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $3.83 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $3.55 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $14.66 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $4.43 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $16.00 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Accenture from $348.00 to $309.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 29th. Wolfe Research lifted their target price on Accenture from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Accenture in a research note on Tuesday, October 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $251.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Accenture from $355.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $295.84.

Accenture Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of Accenture stock opened at $280.82 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16, a quick ratio of 1.41 and a current ratio of 1.41. The company has a market capitalization of $172.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.21, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.25. Accenture has a 1 year low of $229.40 and a 1 year high of $398.35. The company's fifty day moving average is $260.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $259.34.

Accenture (NYSE:ACN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 18th. The information technology services provider reported $3.94 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $18.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $18.51 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 26.65% and a net margin of 10.76%.The firm's revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.59 earnings per share. Accenture has set its FY 2026 guidance at 13.520-13.900 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in Accenture during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Investors Research Corp increased its stake in Accenture by 73.8% during the third quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 106 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Accenture by 132.6% during the third quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 107 shares of the information technology services provider's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Accenture in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Davis Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Accenture in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.14% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Accenture news, CEO Ryoji Sekido sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $249.47, for a total transaction of $623,675.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 1,390 shares in the company, valued at approximately $346,763.30. This represents a 64.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Mauro Macchi sold 500 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $280.00, for a total transaction of $140,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 7,623 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,134,440. The trade was a 6.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 35,151 shares of company stock valued at $8,841,525 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.02% of the company's stock.

Accenture Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Tuesday, January 13th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Accenture's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.88%.

Key Headlines Impacting Accenture

Here are the key news stories impacting Accenture this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist started coverage on Accenture with a $317 price target, signaling analyst confidence and implying meaningful upside vs. the current share price. Truist starts coverage on Accenture (ACN) with $317 price target
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its full-year FY2026 EPS estimate to $13.77 (from $13.61) and bumped FY2027 to $14.66 (from $14.20), which supports a constructive medium‑term earnings outlook for ACN.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks made modest adjustments across outer-year forecasts (FY2028 trimmed slightly to $16.00 from $16.04) — a very small change that likely has limited immediate market impact.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut several near-term quarterly estimates: Q2 2026 to $2.88 (from $2.97), Q3 2026 to $3.62 (from $3.64), and Q4 2026 to $3.34 (from $3.38). Those downward tweaks to 2026 quarters can pressure short-term sentiment and the stock.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also lowered its Q1 2028 estimate to $4.43 (from $4.54) and trimmed some other individual quarters, adding to the mixed/near-term negative tone from the research note.

Accenture Company Profile

Accenture is a global professional services company that provides a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. The firm works with organizations across industries to design and implement business transformation programs, deploy and manage enterprise technology, optimize operations, and develop customer and digital experiences. Its offerings encompass management and technology consulting, systems integration, application and infrastructure services, cloud migration and managed services, as well as security and analytics capabilities.

The company delivers industry- and function-specific solutions, combining consulting expertise with proprietary tools, platforms and partnerships with major technology vendors.

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